Baya and Jake

I am sitting here and thinking about the choices that he has made. Every little thing that he put me through; things would never be able to go back to the way they were. We would never be able to date again. Jake ruined it. Yeah, he ruined it; the things that I tell myself to think that I am over him. By the way my name is Baya, Baya Richards.

One day, way back, things got really awkward when this peculiar guy walked into my classroom. I remember the day and every single detail of that day like it was yesterday. It was a rainy Tuesday in November when I was in the seventh grade. I was sitting in my sixth period Language Arts class with Ms. Martin. The door opens a few minutes after the bell rings and an unfamiliar person is standing in the door way. He is dripping wet, and looks terrified. He pulls out a rumpled blue piece of paper out of his pocket, and unfolds it. He opens his mouth and asks “Is this Ms. Martins Language Arts class?”

 “Yes, take a seat there and take out a sheet of paper,” she replies.

 He does as told and sits in the fourth row, eighth seat. As the class went by, Sheen, who sat behind me, took a yellow highlighter and drew a line on my favorite pink shirt. Next to him in row number two sat Matt, his best friend. Matt loved to make fun of me and call me a girl scout for no reason. Jake had heard them making fun of me and simply chuckled to himself. Then after that I heard him talking to Sheen asking him what my name was.

 “Baya,” Sheen tells him. Jake looked at me.

 “Baya?” he calls. I turn around and look at him. For the first time I get to really look at him. He is really tall, with beautiful brown eyes and brownish black hair.

 “What?” I say back, as our eyes are gaze locked.

 “I didn’t call you,” he says. Then his eyes avert back to the blank sheet of paper on his desk and I turn around to continue reading.

 I go right back to reading my Twilight book. It didn’t take long for me to get right back into it. I get so caught up in books easily. Then my mind wanders and I began to think that either this new boy is crazy or I am going crazy. After the bell rings for us to go to seventh period, I dropped my binder and all my papers scattered along the classroom floor. Jake comes running over to help me pick up the papers. There was no one else in the classroom except us two.

 “Let me help,” he says. He goes to pick up the piece of paper with a blank and dull back side but an even more interesting front side. As he goes to grab it, I slap my hand down on the corner of it but it is too late he already has the sheet of paper in his hand. As he is looking down at this specific page, he has already seen a part of me that no one else has. A new side to me; I have never let anyone see that, or try to understand this. After he is done staring at this paper, he looks up into my eyes.

 “This is amazing” is all he manages to say. I can tell that he is still in awe. “I have never seen anything like this look this good in my life,” he says.

 “Um well thanks…” I pause. “I have never let anyone see any of my work,” I say shyly. This was a piece of me that I had kept a secret from everyone. No one knew about my amazing talents. I can draw, shade, and write all with a regular number two pencil. Jake had seen one of my really recent pieces of work. I had drawn and shaded a black panther with a rose dangling out of its mouth, and then in the corner I had written a short love poem, and then signed the bottom right corner.

 “This is really good. Did you draw it for someone?” he asks looking suspicious at all of the other papers as he picks those up as well. He is being extra careful not to miss another page that could possibly look like that one.

 “No I just like to do them for me. And you won’t find any more of them. I usually empty out all of my papers but I must have forgotten that one.” I said looking down at the paper that is still in his hand.

 “Oh well then could I have this one?” he looks really hopeful.

 Before my mind has time to let me think of an answer the bell interrupts my thought and forces me to hurry off to class. The momentum breaks between us and all I can do is get up and call behind me “Got to go!”, and that was that.

 I get to my seventh period almost four minutes late. I have never been late. I was scared that I might have gotten in trouble. Instead of my teacher yelling at me, he tells me to go sit at his desk. He finishes telling the class the daily assignment and then walks back to me. “Where were you?” he asks, not sounding mad at all. I don’t think he will even mark me late.

 “I dropped my binder leaving my sixth period. I was trying to leave but that made it difficult. I am so--,” he interrupted me.

 “That’s fine. So what is the matter with you? You look really off or something? Do you need to talk? Are you sick? Should I call the nurse again?” he rushes all these questions at me. Mr. Carter was such a nice and friendly teacher. He was always there for me and was a good family friend. But instead of imposing on him with my childlike problems and worries I politely decline and take my assignment back to my seat.

 Once I was done with my assignment and turned it in, I decided to read the final chapter in my Twilight book bringing me to a completion and ready for the next one. After that I took out a sheet of paper and began to sketch, and then go over these odd lines with a shade darker. I am not sure what it was but toward the end of class it was pretty much basically completed. I still couldn’t figure out what it was or if it had a meaning. I had forgotten that I was in school and didn’t even hear the bell ring. Mr. Carter came walking by and said “Ms. Richards the bell has – Ms. Richards do you know what that is that you have drawn? Why did you draw that?”

 “I, I don’t know. I don’t even know what it is. It was just what came out on the paper. Do you know what this is?” I ask curiously.

 “Why yes, yes I do. It’s the ancient Mayan crest of ‘primo busco amore’. That means love at first sight in the ancient language” he studied the image a little bit longer and then looks at my face and then back to the drawing. I am completely clueless to what I have just drawn. Then he says “That’s amazing where you even saw that old thing?”

 “I have never seen that thing a day in my life ever before” I spit out.

 He gives me this look. “Well head on home then and I will see you tomorrow,” and with that he walks back to his desk and prepares for his own departure as well. I pack my things and head for the door.

 As soon as I get home, I end up trying to search up that crest thing on Google. I didn’t really find that much information on it though. So I decided to go back to Google’s homepage and look up this new Jake kid. But as soon as I type in the words: JAKE, I remember that I don’t know his last name so this is no use. I might as well wait and get to know him like everyone else. So I then gave up and start drifting off to sleep.

 Now how was that for a flash back, I said I remembered every detail like I was describing my day to you. Years later I have been through it all with Jake. Here let me catch you up to speed. Jake and I well we dated twice, messed around for months, stopped talking numerous times, broken up, been through everything and yet never had sex yet. Although Jake was my first kiss, boyfriend, slow dance, make out, and of course one and only true love.

 So now I am stuck in this rut because we are in the “not talking” phase of our relationship again. This time I think it is different though. We are currently not talking and probably won’t for a very long time. Longer than any other time I bet. Years, and years later from the seventh grade I am still stuck on this kid, the same guy. We are now juniors almost seniors in High School. We have a long way to go and have been through a lot together and not together. But someway somehow we will always find our way back to each other. But this time I don’t know, I feel like this time it’s different. This time we said some harsh things to each other, just like we did before. But this time, the things that were sad are completely unmentionable. They were downright awful. Although we have said things like that to each other before and then still forgave each other and got back together… This time I don’t see that happening. Things are different. Life is different. I have changed so that means I am different to, even more mature then I was back then. He has changed, for better or worse I don’t know. I have always dealt with his changes though, the good ones and the bad ones. I never left his side no matter what he said or did to me. I have been dealing with Jake and Jakes life since the seventh grade. And for some reason I still refuse to give up on him till this very day.

 There have been complications with us. Like when we are not dating but still friends he doesn’t like for me to go and date other people, but it is okay for him to go and date other people and do what he wants. It doesn’t hurt me as much as it probably hurts him. Plus, I don’t get mad and jealous like he does either. But still, I don’t understand why he gets so mad. I tell him that no one can ever replace him. That I will always love him, and that I only love him. No one has the ability to measure up to him, in my eyes at least.

 Well things have changed. I went away for the entire summer and so did Jake. I went to an Academic Camp that traveled to foreign countries, and Jake went away to his Junior Marine Base Training Camp. So now we are Senior’s in High School. But I will not be at the High School, only for one class. I am taking College classes, at the College of course. It is the first day of my senior year. I went to the High School to grab my schedule, and then I headed to the College. I am excited to see who I will have in some of my classes. I am looking at my yellow schedule sheet. Hmm, you have chemistry two first period with Mr. Shutter. Wow, it is in room L116. I wander in some direction that I think L116 is in and run into what feels like a brick wall. But when I look up am soon to find that it is not a brick wall but a person. Jake, in fact; I am completely startled. He was the last person that I had expected to see here. I notice that a lot of his physical features have slightly changed. Changed for the better that is.

 “I- I am sorry” I say with that coming out as an embarrassing stutter. I am just staring at him taking things in because he has clearly changed so much.

 “Baya?” he says.

  “Yes, Jake?” I answer.

 “Wow, you look…” he pauses staring me up and down, and then opens his mouth to speak again. “You look great.. Where are you headed to?” he asks.

 I am completely in a haze but soon come back to reality. I look down at my yellow schedule. “Mm thanks. Um it looks like I have Chem 2 with Mr. Shutter in L116. Would you happen to know where that is?” I ask. Maybe I seem a little too eager to leave his presence.

 “Yes, actually I do. I was just headed there myself. You were most definitely headed the wrong direction. We can walk together and catch up a little more,” he says smiling from ear to ear.

 “Well okay then. How was your summer?” I ask eager to know what he did and how he got this newfound amazing look. I should already know the answer because he looks stunning.

  “It was long and hot. But of course I enjoyed myself” he says and then comes to a pause. “Baya, I have really missed you,” he waits once again. He stops me and takes my free hand in his. “Baya when I was gone all summer, all of the other guys had pictures of their girlfriends, and the thought of them waiting for them and it made me think of you. How I knew you were always there for me” he says.

 I decided to cut him off before he could say anything else. “Jake I have really missed you too”. Wow I was not expecting that to come out, nor was this supposed to come out. “This summer was so long without seeing you or talking to you.” With that being said, I look down to the around afraid of what I just said and shocked that I said that out loud.

 “Baya, I still only love you” he says peering into my eyes. I feel like he is looking right at my soul. I feel like he shouldn’t have said that. 

 “Jake let’s get to class before we are late,” is all I can manage to say. My mind is all over the place now. I can’t think straight.

 “Okay… Well can I see your schedule?” he asks trying to change the subject now so that things aren’t awkward.

 I hand it over and he compares it to his. His facial expression changes completely. “Wait what’s wrong with it?” I ask, now afraid of what could be wrong with mine or his schedule.

 “You probably will not believe me, but we have every single class together. Same everything” he says smiling so big. He starts laughing like this is a joke. I can’t believe it. I take the schedules and compare them and they indeed are the same.

 “No way” I say. “That shouldn’t even be remotely possible” I say.

 “Well clearly it is, it’s happening” he says still smiling.

 “But I thought we had different majors. That shouldn’t be possible if we do. Don’t we?” I ask really quickly, maybe too quickly.

 “I changed majors,” he says sheepishly. His tone averts to something different.

 He opens the door for me and we walk into class just as the bell begins to ring. We stand in the front of this Chemistry room with the rest of the class. Mr. Shutter starts spitting out names. He is a tall, really older looking man. He has crazy white hair that goes almost in every direction, he reminds me of Einstein. He is not fat but kind of in shape for an older teacher.

 “Allan McCoy and Sheba Renal,” and on and on he went calling out random names. I noticed the names were in no particular order. He was calling them out in pairs of two, one male and one female. He carries on saying “If you have noticed I am not calling out names in any particular order. If you have ever talked to anyone that has taken my class before then you know my reason for this madness. I am really big on Chemistry. I get all into it; not only scientifically but also romantically. Therefore I am playing matchmaker, like I do every year. I do this according to those “About you” papers that everyone has to fill out in order to take this class with me. You did them only last year, as in a few months ago so not that much has changed I am sure.” He pauses and looks up and then starts to say more names. “Steven Jenny and Malaya Smith are together for the year. Jake Cairns and Baya Richards are paired together for the year.” He continues calling out names and Jake and I just stare at each other and he laughs silently to himself. We exchange glances and take our seats at a nearby black shiny lab table.

 “After you?” he says smiling way too hard.

 I think about why this is happening now? Really, why now? All of those thoughts and the memories; Do I even want this to happen? As all these many thoughts go through my mind I look at Jake who is analyzing our new lab table and looking around this really large classroom that is now ours for the next year. Together we wait for everyone else to choose a lab table and take their seats.

 Everyone else is now seated and Mr. Shutter is now speaking about the class. The basic information we will need to know. The things like the lab rules, lab days, what to wear, test, and note’s and of course himself as well.

 Jake passes me a note on a sheet of paper, it says:

   This will be a long year

   Why do you say that?

 Jake smiles and looks at me before writing back

   I have you all day and every day

I look up at the clock in the front of the room and that back at him. I write back.

   I guess so… Why does that make it a long year? 

  Everyday looking at your gorgeous face, even better smile, wonderful laugh, crazy brain... Must I go on?

 I look at him and then think deeply of myself.

   I mean thanks but why would that make it long?

 Without delay he is already scribbling me back a note.

   Every minute I have with you I treat it as a day. I won’t ever take you for granted ever again.

 After reading that, I wait. I’m not sure what I should write back to that.

 Then I hear a loud smack against my table! “I will do that every once in a while just to keep the class awake.” Mr. Shutter says. He continues babbling on about something. I still don’t know what to say back to that note. So I just look at him and give him this semi-sort of reassuring looking smile and think to myself how he is right about this going to be a long year. Moments or what feels like moments, the bell rings to release us to our next course. I gather my things rather slowly as to linger behind, hoping Jake would notice and see that I want to be left alone to think. But he doesn’t, he waits for me. I forgot we had the same schedule. As expected he waits for me and offers me his hand to help me and I shake my head no. He then gives me the look- the look is a look that I remember quite well actually. It meant what’s wrong with you, I know there’s something wrong so don’t try to lie to cover it up. I notice that we are the last and only two in the classroom left. Mr. Shutter is staring at us, marveling if you must. Then he just out broke and said “Romance already between you two?”

 Jake answers to quickly to this question. And also really freely as he wraps both arms around me. “There has always been a romance between us two. Since, the seventh grade actually. When I first laid eyes on her I knew it.” He is smiling, and all I can manage is a fake bubbly smile and a nod in agreement.

 “Oh wow so I have matched appropriately. I knew it. You guys will have an everlasting future. But wait, I can see complications. Would you like me to go on?” Mr. Shutter asks. He must have taken notice in the change of my facial expression and body language. But apart from that Jake nods ahead, eager to listen to what this crazy chemistry teacher has to say to us. “Well I see that you two have just recently connected from a long time of being apart. Like I said, you guys have had your share of problems and issues. But each time you overcome them, which is a really positive sign.” He pauses. “I am unsure of how long your futures together will last but--”

 Jake has intervened Mr. Shutters talk to ask “Futures? Do you mean as in plural? How is that possible?”

 “Yes I can see you two together at different times,” he carries on. “It is really weird, you two I mean.” A bell cut him short. “Oh no I am terribly sorry for keeping you two, where are you headed I can give you a pass?” he says.

 I answer before Jake can this time. “We have a free block” I say as I look at my schedule.

 “Oh my she talks!” he chuckles, and Jake shares a hushed laugh as well. “Jake I take it that you have a free block as well since she said we” he questions.

 “Yes, actually I do. It’s an odd thing but Baya and I have the exact same schedule. Like everything is the same,” he says.

 “Oh really; that is pretty odd; I have never seen two exact same schedules before. May I?” he questions in awe; we nod and take out our schedule and hand them over to him. He stares back and forth from mine to Jakes, from Jakes to mine. Mr. Shutter slowly lifts his head and says “Well this may be a sign as well. New beginnings; don’t fall back to the way that things were. Hmm” he says still thinking. Then his face goes pale, eyes stare literally right through Jake and I. Then in a totally different voice he says “Stop. Don’t do what you did before. You two are chosen. Together you guys make one. DON’T! Jake stops. She deserves better. Don’t be pushing her away to finding it” he sighs and then his color comes back and his stare drops back down to normal. He drops our two schedules to the floor. I pick them up, grab Jakes hand and pull him out of the classroom with me without saying another word. I leave the classroom with Jake trailing behind me.

 We sit in the two red chairs in the lounge; we are silent, taking in what just happened. “Who is that Baya? I don’t think that was our chemistry teacher speaking to us in there” he asked me.

 “Jake I don’t know who that is but that was really scary. I think we should switch out. What do you think?” I look at him and notice his face is identical to mine. We are both extremely confused to what just happened.

 “Well I don’t know what to think about any of this. But I am not going to let it distract me from everything else.” He says. “Baya, I know this is going to be jumping ahead but--”

 “No, no!! I can’t just up and date you again; Mr. Shutter was right about some of the things he said. Things do have to change and there are many things about yourself that you need to work on, change and then the things you should just get rid of. I can’t just jump back into a heart-breaking relationship with you again. A lot of what Mr. Shutter said made sense to me. Everything did except those names he called us.” Then I realize that I interrupted him with this big speech and now I have probably left him with nothing to say but as always he surprises me and opens his big mouth.

 “Baya, listen. I love you. I really do. I always have. Ever since the day I found out what your beautiful name was. And then when I saw that drawing and read those genuine poetic lines, I knew then that I would have to have you. I know I would soon love you. I would always love you. You’re my world, and more than that. All I ever want is to make you happy, to wake up next to you for the rest of my life. To hear your amazing voice singing in the shower, saying you love me, and even when you yell at me. I just want to be with you. Even through all the good and all the bad; at all times. You are the first person I think of when I wake, and the last before I fall asleep at night. I lay my head on the pillow looking forward to the dreams I will have about you. I am willing to change for you. I want to be a better person. I can be a different person for you. I will do anything for you. I can do it and I will do it. I just want to make the changes with you. I want you to be mine. I want you to help me to make you love me again,” he says.

 “I do still love you and I always will. You don’t need help to do that. Jake, I just can’t deal with the drama this time,” I say almost sounding and feeling completely exhausted. But then I think I am tired. I am so tired of dealing with all of his ups and downs and twists and turns.

 “Okay well then please commit to me? Please be mine?” he pleads. He digs his hand into his pocket and pulls out a box and then a red and silver bag out of the other pocket. He opens the red and silver bad first. He takes out the necklace and puts it around my neck. It’s a slender and simple twenty-four karat gold necklace. It is at least sixteen inches long. Then he opens the box. “Baya, take this ring and say that you’ll be mine?” he asks me once again. This time he is smiling, his eyes are smiling. It was that moment that I noticed how much joy I bring him.

 I think, realizing he just spilled his heart and soul out to me. What do I do? What do I say? I can’t say no. I look into his eyes and say “Jake, I love you. Promise me you will change?”

 “Yes, yes, yes!! A million times yes! I will do whatever. Anything you want or need, say it and you’ll have it as fast as I can get it to you.” He says overjoyed.

 “Everything is fine as long as I have you. I have waited for this moment to come for a very long time now. I never gave up because I knew that one day we would be something else again. ” I say smiling. Then we share this kiss. Something that’s been a long time since we last shared. I really missed him. I missed it all. Basically I missed him in general. The kiss was long, desirable, unending, passionate, and everything I could have ever wanted in that moment. I didn’t want it to end. When we pull away he takes the ring out of the little black box. He places it on the necklace, it’s our promise ring. It hangs with its beauty from the beautiful gold chain. The ring was absolutely breath taking and looked quite expensive too. “Jake I can’t take this. It looks too expensive. How much did this cost?” I ask. Now I am worried he is going to go overboard with buying me things.

“Don’t worry about it; I want you to have it. It is absolutely gorgeous just like you. If anything, I didn’t spend enough money. I could never get tired of spending money on you” he says smiling. “Baya I love you and I’m glad that all of this is finally happening.”

 Then the bell rings. “Shall we go to our next class?” I ask. We walk to the next class and all day I couldn’t think of anything else except him. We walk to all of our classes together and eat lunch together too. For lunch we went and bought it in the main cafeteria and then went and ate out in the courtyard in the grass under a nice big shady tree. We talk about the basic things and actually catch up on life, and family. It was a nice time that we spent together. The days go on and the weeks go by. Jake and I are doing well. There is no more talk of what happened that day in Chemistry weeks prior with Mr. Shutter. Then all of a sudden, one day I spend a break in the library and I grab a United States History book off the shelf to use. I open it to Chapter eight and there’s a note there. At first I thought it was just a coincidence that someone who last used the book left it there. But then I opened the note. It read:

Remember; think back, Memories will be more than mere flashbacks soon. Soon they will become a true reality and you will endure it all over again. Just wait and you will see…

 I was kind of scared now. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know whether to think of this as a coincidence. It had almost been two months now since the incident with Mr. Shutter. And I hadn’t told anyone about that. Then I get this note. I figured that I wouldn’t tell Jake anything about this note because I didn’t want to scare him or anything. I will just have to keep this one to myself. So I hide the note in some of my other books. I open the History book to chapter eight section twenty-seven and there’s a yellow sticky note there that says:

Sickness comes easily; don’t wish it upon yourself

 I just turned the page. Part of my mind always was terribly worried and of course my overactive mind was generating a crazy idea like usual. Back in the eighth grade I got really sick and Jake broke up with me. I came to a sudden stop, suddenly realizing what was going on here. I quickly get up taking all of my things with me and as soon as I reach the hallway, I pull out my cell phone to call Jake. I am walking down the hallway and bump into someone. It was Jake. I hang my phone up. He really scared me. I was freaking out.

 “I was just about to call you,” I say bending to the ground to retrieve all of the things that I had dropped when coming encounter with Jake.

 “Why, what for?” he says but then he loses focus. Then I see what he sees. It’s the notes. He’s looking at the first one. “Baya what-” then he sees the yellow sticky note. “Baya we need to talk to someone about this” he says surprisingly calm.

 “Yes I know but who?” I ask suddenly realizing that we both know who to talk to for this. Mr. Shutter. I have avoided most conversation with him since that incident. So we call up Mr. Shutter’s classroom and ask him if we could maybe come by and talk some time. He immediately agreed to meet with us right away. So Jake and I go on down to L116. Mr. Shutter is already waiting for us outside of his classroom. We walk in together after he unlocks the door. Jake and I take a seat at a lab table and Mr. Shutter pulls up a stool and sits in front of us.

 “Show me what you got,” Mr. Shutter says so openly that I almost- just almost forget what we were here for in the first place. I hand over the two notes that I had received earlier today. I shoved the text book over across the lab table. The book and the notes now sat in front of Mr. Shutters face. He studies them and then says “Well someone clearly knows quite a bit about you two’s past together?” I guess he meant to say that as a question.

 Jake and I turn to face each other and simultaneously say “Everyone does.”

 Then he looks at us and asks “Who would want to ruin your relationship them and break you guys up for good?”

 Once again, Jake and I share glances and say, once again simultaneously “Everyone”, this time we have slight chuckles afterwards.

 “This is not funny. But that doesn’t narrow it down. So we have a long way to go before we make any progress. There’s not much we can do. I mean it is really weird how they knew you’d pick up that United States History book. How would they know you are taking that class? But I am not sure what to tell you about this. Do you have any specific connection to United States History? Do either of you? And I mean anything at all, the smallest of the smallest details. Try to remember anything from a long time ago to a recent time ago.” He says, he is really trying to help up here.

 “Oh! I got it,” I burst out. “In the eighth grade Jake and I had United States History together… Mm… I think it was third period, I think” I say thinking really hard to those memories that I had worked so hard to bury. I was kind of unsure but also sure.

 “Wow that is right! Wow! How do you remember these things Baya?” Jake asks obviously amazed and impressed by my odd memorization skills.

 “Mm, I am not sure but let’s think about who had that class with us. Who didn’t like us or was jealous or just name the class in general” I pause. Then it all really came back. “Ryan, Jordan, Brandon, Taylor, Davie, Martin, Galle, mm” my mind then comes to a sudden halt and I remember no one else…

 Jake’s face dropped. “Wow” that is all he managed to say to me. “Rigor, Jordon, Bianca, hmm that’s all I can remember… Oh wait!! Chris!” he says. I am really surprised that he managed those few names that he said. Well the four names he said. That was really good for him.

“Wow, well that was serious improvement” I say with genuine shock. “I am not even kidding.”

 “Yeah I can say that I am pretty impressed with all of this. Well let’s just talk to them and see what they have to say and notice there body language and facial expressions too. I take it you guys must be taking United States History again since you needed the book? So pay attention to who is in that class that was in your eighth grade class to. Then come talk to me about who you think could be doing this to you guys” Mr. Shutter says to us.

 Well now we have actually gotten somewhere. Jake and I thank Mr. Shutter for the guidance and advice that he has provided for us and then we are on our way out. We are heading back to the High School. Jake is going to drive, which means I need two seat belts. He is a speed demon.

 “Baya who do you think would do that to us?” he asks me. I clearly knew that that was what has been on his mind and was keeping him so quiet. He wasn’t even speeding, that’s also how I knew he was still distracted.

 “Jake honestly I am not really sure. Everyone in that class had “claimed” that we were such a cute and adorable couple” I said.

 “Claimed? What do you mean claimed? We are a cute couple. We are the cutest couple. We always will be” he smiles and nudges my cheek with his thumb.

 “Both eyes on the road, and both hands on the wheel” I joke to him. “But like you know what I mean, they all said and probably none of them ever meant it. They were all probably jealous.” I say.

 “Yeah, they were all just jealous. Chris and Martin used to want to get with you all the time. I can’t tell you how many countless times I told them to leave my girl alone. It was getting really irritating. Martin would always ask me if I was willing to share my little cookie. And Chris was always trying to touch you when you had to pass out papers. I used to get so mad at them; they really used to piss me off with that stuff.” He says, getting a little irritated with those memories.

 “It’s okay they couldn’t have me anyway. You already had me” I say to him smiling. “Okay well I know that Davie was always trying to cause drama and problems between me and you. She used to tell me some bad stuff. I had to ignore her. Really ignore her like all of the time. But she isn’t in our United States class... Hmm Ryan is and Brandon is. Oh and that one girl. What is her name? She is always looking at your arm or wrist. Something like that.” I say still trying to think.

 “Oh that girl, she is the one who is always looking at your chest. Well probably your neck, or the necklace and ring. Sorry” he laughs. “Okay but what is her name? She doesn’t really look all that recognizable. Like I don’t remember her from the eighth grade” he ponders this for a bit.

 “Well as we both know very well, that looks can change tremendously” I say hinting towards him with a smirk. “Oh my god!! I know who it is!! It’s Nestle. Remember her? She was the really quiet in the back of the room? Wow she is really um out there now. So now what do we do? I am pretty sure she was in our eighth grade class as well” I say.

 “Yeah I know. You are right though, so now what do we do?” he asks. I guess he didn’t hear me when I asked him that same question.

 “We have to get a spy” I say, it comes out so simple like that is an everyday task. “We find someone who would talk to those people about us and see how they really feel” I say.

 “Wow, that’s not a bad idea Baya. But one thing, who do we get to be our spy person?” he asks. This was a very good question.

 “Someone we are all friends with that way the questioning wouldn’t seem suspicious, and they need to be able to keep a secret as well.” After that is said I stay quiet for a while because now I have to think long and hard about whom our spy will be.

 “Michael” he says. “Let’s ask Michael to do it. He will most definitely do it for us!” he says. I can see that he is really excited about this idea.

 “But they are not friends so it would seem kind of weird that he would just out of the blue ask them questions about what they really think about us being back together. Zach! Oh my god! Zach would do it for us! He would do it for us, he is friends with them and it wouldn’t even seem suspicious.” I think I said that to excitedly about the idea, like Zach had already agreed to the idea. There’s always the possibility that he could say no, but I doubt that. I then think that this could soon be over and we could be together happily.

 “Okay that does sound really good. I will call him and ask him later” he says. We smiled at each other. Shortly then after we reached the front of the school, we see an ambulance rush into the front parking lot. We turn to look at each other and then rush into the front office. “What’s happened?” Jake questioned Ms. Libra at the front desk.

 “We cannot disclose that information at this time.” Ms. Libra claims.

 “Ms. Libra please, we are really worried to whom that ambulance could be here for. All of our friends and his sister are here, please Ms. Libra. Just tell me please” I plead eager to find out who is so badly injured.

“Ms. Richards” she clears her throat and then leans closer toward me. “Okay well you didn’t hear this from me but a student got hit in the student parking lot today but an unmarked car.” She says.

 “Do you know the students name?” I ask.

 “You are pushing it. But yes I do, it was Zachary Smith. Did you know him?” she asks.

 Jakes face immediately drops, he goes pale. He sits down absolutely speechless. “Jake are you okay babe?” I ask, knowing the answer I move closer to comfort him.

 “Baya that is my best friend we are talking about. What am I supposed to do?” he questions and then gets up and runs out of the front office doors. I run after him and scream his name but it’s useless he is ignoring me. Wow, just what we needed right now. Every time we get a step ahead- a step closer, someone has to go and ruin it. I am not blaming Zach either I am blaming this unmarked car. I feel hot stinging tears glide down my red cheeks. The tears drop down and stain my shirt. I decide to head back to my car to change shirts and then head home. I wipe my eyes and walk back to the student parking lot. Something really odd sticks out to me. I am the only one back here and many cars have been cleared out already. I look at the time and it is only 1:28. Hmm wow classes are still going on too. Well I am going home anyway my day is over. Once I notice that, I notice something even odder. There is a car parked next to mine, which there isn’t supposed to be. I bought the two parking spots on both sides of my car. No one is supposed to use those spaces. I look at this car; I have never seen it before... Wait it is unmarked... Oh my gosh, it’s the car. I quickly take out my phone and take a picture of the car, and the license plate, and then I hurriedly get into my car. I lock the doors and text Jake and let him know that I left the school. Of course, no reply though. As I pull into my drive way and grab my things there is something on top of my bag that wasn’t there before. It’s a note, it says:

You better hold on tight to what you have or you could lose it! Keep that in your pretty little mind.

 I crumble the note and leave it in my car. I take my house key and make my way to the front door. I put my key into the key whole and stop. I notice that it didn’t click. That means the door is already unlocked. Its only 1:37. My parents aren’t home, so the door should be locked. I keep my phone in hand and leave my bag and the porch chair. I walk in the house slowly, and look around. It all looks the same, nothing is missing. It is really quiet though and that scares me. All of a sudden I hear this faint noise. I think it came from the kitchen, so I make my way into the kitchen. It was the microwave, its lighting up now. Okay, so someone came in my house to make food?

 “Oh hey” Elizabeth says causally. Elizabeth is my best friend since we were like four or five. She is a freshman in High School, and therefore should still be in high school right now.

 “What the-” Oh my god, Elizabeth you freaking scared the heck out of me! What are you doing here? And how did you get here?” I ask, now worried about what is going on with her. I totally forgot that she has a key to my house. I need to keep that in mind. I forgot that I was her escape route.

 “Well I am fine, how are you too?” she kids. She starts again “To answer all of your many questions. I had a bad day at school, so I decided to leave and I knew I couldn’t go home so I came here. And I walked here, to answer that second question” she says and walks over to the microwave to retrieve her food. I look at her and shake my head. It isn’t that far of a walk but she could have texted me and told her to come get her on one of my breaks.

 “But- What- Why? Oh my gosh. Girl this week, this day it all has been so weird.” I say more relaxed now. I walk out back to the front door and retrieve my bag from the porch chair. The crumbled note from my back seat is sitting on the top. I un-crumble it and there has been more added to it.

You may want to hold on to these things. You throw my stuff away, I will throw yours away. That’s a promise whore!

I walk back into my house, and shut the door. I shove the note back into my bag. Oh my, this is getting worse. I can hear Beth screaming “Come one spill the details. Trouble in paradise?” she asks a little too curious about my love life.

“Everything is fine between us, thanks for asking!” I pause now scared for Jake and I’s relationship. I didn’t think of that till now. Thank you Beth! “Oh and Jake and I but mainly me, is getting stalked. Someone doesn’t want Jake and me together. They are trying super hard to break up.” I say now getting more and more down the more I have to talk about this.

 “Oh no!” she says very sarcastically. That almost hurt. “Well I could have told you that. I saw and overheard these two girls in the hallway yesterday saying how they don’t see it lasting, and they don’t like you. I honestly didn’t believe you two would ever get back together after that last split up. I really didn’t see a third time in your future, but if you’re happy then go for it” she says smiling, I think she is just happy because she is eating.

 “Hey I have a quick question. Do you know who these girls were?” I ask now overthinking this. “What’d they look like?” I couldn’t help but blurt these things that ran through my mind.

“Jeesh, calm down BAY! Hmm let me think. They were both tall, and skinny with long hair. One’s hair was black and the other one was blondish brownish.” She says.

 “What else? How old did they look or sound?” I ask. I am so determined to get to the bottom of this.

 “Wow well I don’t know, I wasn’t listening for all that. But if I had to guess I would probably say your age. Like seniors. Ooh! Wait one of them the one with the black had a soccer jersey on, and the other the blonde one had a senior ladies basketball shirt on.” She says. I can tell she is pleased with what she remembers because now she is smiling. I can say that I am pretty pleased with the information she just gave me because now I know who they are for sure!

 “Oh my god! Elizabeth, I freaking love you right now! Stay as long as you want and need to,” I say now super excited with the information I just learned.  I know who these two girls are. I rush to get my phone to call Jake but he is calling me. I answer on the second ring.

 “Hello?” he sounds really groggy.

 “Jake, hey, where are you?” I ask.

 “At the river, I just left the hospital” he says.

 “Oh my, how is he doing?” I ask really worried about my fellow friend Zach.

 “He is intensive care right now but he is stable. They wouldn’t let me see him though” he says.

 “I’m so sorry Jake, Want me to come and get you?” I ask, knowing he probably ran there to blow off some steam and stress.

 “Um sure, can you bring me some water too?” he asks.

 “Of course, anything else you need?” I ask eager to see my upset boyfriend.

  All I hear is silence for a while. Then he speaks “No, I will see you soon” and with that he hangs up. I quickly run into the kitchen and grab two waters and head out. I tell Beth I will be back soon and not to go anywhere because she still has to tell me about her bad day. I grab my keys, phone, and purse and head out to my car. I head off quickly to the river. As I approach the river I can see him sitting on the rocks. “Jake?” I say to get his attention without scaring him.

 He turns his face toward me and I can see that his face is really red. I think it’s a combination from being hot and then crying. I have never seen Jake cry. Never; like for as long as I have known him, ever since the seventh grade I have never seen him cry. He pulls me toward him and cries on my shoulder, and I wrap my arms around him and do my best to comfort him. He looks up at me and stares into my face and say “Baya promise me one thing?”

 “Sure, anything, what is it?” I say eager to hear this.

 “Be smart, I am not calling you stupid though. But please be careful please, Promise you will call me anytime you feel like you are in danger or just want me near you? Promise me?” he says. I can see the hurt in his eyes.

 “Of course, I mean yes I promise you Jake. Nothing’s going to happen to me” I try to assure him the best I can. I kiss his forehead.

 He clearly isn’t convinced. “But we don’t know that Bay. Anything could happen to you at any time and then you’re gone and I won’t have you anymore” he just stares at me. “Baya we need to find out who is doing this, who is stalking you” he says.

 “No, No not now. This doesn’t matter right now. Let’s focus on Zach. This isn’t that important. Focus on Zach and his full recovery.” I say trying to be understanding of him and his feelings.

 “Baya I would be a million times worse if that was you right now, if that was you in the hospital. So we are going to figure this out. I can’t lose you Bay.” He says.

 “Well okay I know who the two girls are who don’t like us together. It’s Davie and Bianca and they really don’t like the idea of us dating.” I say to him informing him on what I learned today.

 “Baya?” he says. I notice his head is turned towards my car. I turn my head to look at my car. That’s when I see it. Someone has written a message on my car. It says two simple words:

STOP BITCH!

 Jake is freaking out. “Jake calm down it really is nothing. It’ll come off, it’ll all be fine.” I say trying to comfort him still even though I am so shaken up inside. I don’t know how much longer I can keep pretending to be so strong. Jake can see it though; he takes my hand in his and puts an arm around me trying to keep me sitting up steadily. I don’t know if I can do this.

 “Come on let’s just go. Now,” he stands up. “Baya no lets go.” He says with his voice really assertive. I can tell he’s starting to get more and more protective of me as the days go on. He takes my keys, clearly he is driving home. But something is wrong I can’t move. I honestly can’t get up. He comes closer near me and says “Baya?” and then he waits a few seconds and notices that I can’t really do much right now. He slides his arms around me and picks me up and lays me in the back seat and starts to drive toward my house. Then trying to get me to talk, he says “Baya things are fine. Go back to telling me about those girls. Do you remember Davie and Bianca? Come on” his voice is almost pleading for me to talk.

 “Jake. I have the license plate oh who hit Zach. And I think they have something to do with what’s going on between me and you with this whole stalker person.” I manage to say. He just looks at me.

 “Oh my gosh Baya. Would you care enough to share this very small piece of information with me?” he was being really sarcastic there. “Where are the pictures at?” he asks.

 “They are in my phone.” I reach for my purse and take my phone out. I go through my gallery of pictures like ten times and the pictures are gone. “Jake the pictures are gone. Someone took my phone and deleted them” he looks so disappointed and scared. What are we going to do?

 “Baya this is really beginning to get out of hand. I’m scared for your life now. If this person or people are capable of this then we should really be telling more people; people that can help us. If we being together is going to be putting you in danger like that then maybe we shouldn’t be together. I can’t handle losing you. Zach is already severely hurt I wouldn’t want you to be next. Maybe we need to call a quits for a little bit. No one else needs to get hurt, especially you” he says looking back at me. We are now sitting in my car I my drive way.

 “Jake, you’re hurting me by saying this. I thought we could get through this. You can’t leave me now. Not when this is the time I need you the most. You can’t be doing this. Are you being serious? You can’t be breaking up with me? Not again? I can’t handle that. You can’t leave me again.” I plead with tears just spilling out of my eyes, soaking everything in my back seat. I can’t handle a break up right now.

 “Baya, listen I love you-”

 “Then why are you doing this? If you really loved me as much as you say you do then you wouldn’t even have considered that. If anything you would have wanted to be with me even more to protect me and stay with me. To make sure I am always safe. Together we can make it through this, we can win. Trust me on this one. I know.” He has carried me into my room. I’m lying on my bed crying.

 “Baya” is all he says. He is really quiet for a while and then comes and decides to lie down next to me. “Baya I think that we can get through this and-”

 I interrupted him for a totally called for kiss. My tears are now on his face as well. He wipes my tears away gently with his hand and breaks the kiss.

 “Baya, I am not going anywhere you should know that by now. I had a moment of doubt because I am thinking for your benefit. I thought you would be better off without me but I guess not” he says.

 “You should know by now that nothing can bring us apart” I say smiling.

 Beth walks into my room, I had forgotten she was still here, but then again I did tell her not to move or to go anywhere. “Whoa you two love birds calm down a little, there is a minor in the house. Awe Bay what’s wrong?” she must have seen my face.

 “Nothing Beth, what do you need?” trying my best to not sound like really harsh about that. I am kind of annoyed though.

 “Oh well Jeesh, this manila folder was sent here for you. Someone came by and told me to give it you immediately” she sat it on the bed and walked out.

 Jake and I exchange looks about this manila folder. He leans up to pick the folder off the foot of the bed and he looks at the outside. Nothing is there so he unties the tie and shoves his hand inside the folder. There are two paper objects. One a picture and the other a folded piece of a paper that I would bet is a note. He takes them out and sits them in front of us on the bed. The picture is of a door. That is really irrelevant to me right now. Then we look at the note, the note says:

Your choices can open and close doors so be careful what you choose to do and say

 “What does this mean?” Jake asks, and looks up at me.

 “How am I supposed to know? Clearly I have choices to make” I say getting very annoyed with this little game we’re playing. I don’t like it.

 Beth comes in and she sees the picture of the door on my bed. Then she looks up and says “Bay, Jake? One of you wants to explain the little message on Bays car? So what is going on here? All I know is you better get that off before your parents come home. They wouldn’t want to see or read that.” she said being really curious for her best friend’s life, I bet.

 Jake gets off the bed. “I am going to go and clean the car off” he says and with that grabs a towel and heads on out to my car.

 Beth opens her mouth to speak “Well tell me” she says.

 So I go on and fill her in about everything that has been happening for the past few weeks. She nods every few minutes, and gasps when she is in shock, she shares some comments every now and then but mainly just listens. Once I am done telling her everything, Jake comes back in, his hands and feet are dripping wet. He runs his wet hands through his jet black hair and it goes to a natural spike. He has the blankest expression I have ever seen in my life on his face right now.

 I ask him “Want to come with me to take Beth home or just stay here?”

 “I guess I will just stay here. Are you hungry?” Jake asks me.

 “Mm yeah a little, I should probably get something to eat. Why? Are you going to cook for me?” I ask sounding really surprised that he insisted on cooking for me.

 “Um maybe, we will see” he says smiling.

 “Well okay but remember I don’t eat--” I started to say.

 “Bay, I know what you don’t eat and what you do eat. I know your allergies and I know your favorites. You’re good. I got you.” With that being said I give him a quick hug and grab my keys. I run back to him and give him a kiss and thank him for cleaning my car. I notice that when I unlock my doors, that Jake not only wiped the paint off but washed my entire car, he is such a sweetheart sometimes. Beth and I get in and she puts on the radio. Moments later I turn it off, I am eager to find out how her day was. I turn the music off and sit at the stop sign at the end of my street.

 “We will not move until you tell me why your day was so bad, tell me why you basically skipped school all day?” I ask.

 “Well I just wasn’t feeling school today.” She says rather quietly, this is so unlike her. Usually she jumps for joy to go to school and see her boyfriend all day.

 “That’s not a good enough answer for me. Did you and Cody get in a fight? You get your period? Had to take a test? Is it something else?” I ask all at once, eager to find out what is bugging my best friend.

 “Well it’s something else alright” she sighs and begins speaking again. “Well it’s kind of a combination of a few different things. One, I had a test. Two, Cody broke up with me. Three, I didn’t want to see my dad. Four, I wanted good food to support my bad cramps.” She says all so fast I barely understood her. But it was number two that stuck out to me the most.

 I bet she didn’t want me to hear number two, which is why she said it so fast but too bad I had already heard it. “Oh Beth I am so sorry girl. I am so terribly sorry. Why did he do it?” I ask.

Tears began to run down her face. “I don’t know. After he broke up with me I saw him walking around hand in hand with Nakayla. I knew he was cheating on me I just didn’t want to believe it. We were off and on for two whole years. Things started changing. We weren’t talking as much, we weren’t hanging out as much and he was seeming less and less interested each day it went on. I wish he would have just done it sooner and not have led me on for so long. I hate when guys do that. Especially Cody I thought we really had something” she managed to get that entire speech out between her tears and gasps for air.

 On the way to her house, I stopped and bought her some ice-cream and then took her home. She thanked me and I told her to stay strong and to call me if she needed anything. Before leaving I send a quick text to her mom telling her to make her favorite dinner and to be comforting. Then I also sent a text Jake and let him know that I am on my way back. Then as I am driving back home I see that car again. I speak the numbers and letter into my phone and send in a text to Jake. He won’t understand but that way someone will have it. After that I hurry home. Its only 3:58. No one is home still. I get home and I walk in and everything comes straight at me. All of these wonderful scents of food.

 “Jake?” I say. “Jake?” I still get no answer the second time. I walk into the kitchen and he has the tale set and this beautiful pasta dinner. There is chicken, broccoli, and Alfredo pasta. Then of course, I smell the garlic butter breadsticks. “Jake?” Third time is the charm.

 “Behind you” he says in a quiet whisper. I turn around and there he is looking sexier than ever before. He has showered and changed into dark stonewashed jeans, and a black semi V-neck long sleeve t-shirt. His hair is wet and spiked naturally as usual.

 “Come sit,” he says and puts his hand at the small of my back and pushed me toward the seat. He pulls my chair out for me and then pushes me closer to the table. He brings me a plate of food, perfectly prepared and proportioned because he knows that I don’t eat much food. Jake sits down and stares at me. He opens his mouth like he has something to say but then just continues to smile at me.

 I look up and say to him “What are you smiling about over there?”

 “I am only sitting here having dinner with the most beautiful girl in the whole entire world” he says that almost as if that was nothing. But to me that was everything. He really means the world to me.

 “Jake-” I begin to say but once again, am interrupted.

 “Wait there is something really important I have to ask you Baya,” smiling he waits a short moment and gets up and walks toward me. He brings out another small black box with white ribbon with gold trim wrapped around it. He undoes the ribbon and sits it on the table. He comes closer to me and gets down on one knee. My mind goes absolutely blank. Jake is smiling this genuine smile that I have never seen before on him, ever. He is being so happy and cheerful, I like it. “Baya Samai Richards will you take the honor in being my wife for our eternal lives?” he asked. Oh my, he just asked me to marry him. With that he opened that little black box, and that’s when I thought I was going to faint. That ring was absolutely amazingly insane gorgeous I have never seen so many big, little, and perfectly cut diamonds.

 “Yes, yes of course. I love you so much.” That’s all I can say because this was all I have ever dreamed.

 This may seem really sudden because we just started our senior year but we are going to do this right. We are staying engaged through college, and war. It was college for me and war for him. And as for our stalker, well I was wrong. It didn’t take much longer to catch them once I had the license plate number. The police took care of it immediately. It was actually this girl Brooke, and her boyfriend, who happened to be an idiot. We looked up that license plate and then took all of our evidence to the police. They were arrested and charged with some felonies that I don’t remember. And as for Beth well she is far better now. I hooked her up with little red head Brandon, and they have been dating for a whole year straight. I guess life is really what you make it, so live it up, and don’t ever lose faith in your dreams. Keep your faith strong and you will get what you really want. I learned that the hard way.

Four long years later…

Jake returned from the war a totally different person. It took him a long time to recognize that this was real life, and that I was still Baya and that I still loved him. But I stayed with him and we went to go see a counselor. Six months later after all of that we are getting married.

Days and days spent planning the most magnificent wedding ever. Then July thirtieth I am walking down the aisle in my vanilla sweetheart dress. After our lovely wedding we are off on our honeymoon. He chose many tours and activities throughout Europe. A year later we had a son name Eric Michael Cairns, he was seven pounds even and perfectly healthy. I don’t think I could describe a more perfectly happily ever after.